Bristolians are at their happiest enjoying a seaside holiday in Padstow, Cornwall, according to a new study.

New research by SACO, The Serviced Apartment Company, reveals almost a third (31 per cent) of Bristol residents named Padstow as their ultimate “happy place”, especially when fish and chips are involved.

Almost one in four said they were at their happiest eating traditional Cornish pasties in St Ives, as well as walking and hiking in the Lake District, both closely followed by enjoying a leisurely pub lunch in the Cotswolds or picking fossils on the Jurassic Coast.

Cornwall was found to be the top staycation destination for Bristol residents with 23 per cent enjoying holidays there, closely followed by Devon (21 per cent) which suggests there’s nothing quite like “holidaying or creating happy moments closer to home”.

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Making memories to treasure for a lifetime is also important to Bristol residents, with 69 per cent having fond childhood memories of UK holidays and more than half (57 per cent) wanting to recreate these experiences for their own children and grandchildren. More than a third said some of their best holidays have been in Britain.

We love tucking into fish and chips

SACO found people from the city like to indulge in good food when holidaying.

Their staycation “must-dos” include a pub lunch, eating fish and chips and tucking into traditional Cornish pasties, as well as rockpooling and paddling in the sea as activities to work off the calories.

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Many people from Bristol even have had life-changing memories from their past holidays in British holiday resorts in the South West of England.

More than one in four have made the decision they wanted to sell their house and move closer to their ultimate “happy place” while spending time there, 16 per cent have fallen in love at their favourite holiday location in the UK and five per cent have conceived a child on holiday.

Cornwall is our number one "happy place"

A spokesperson for SACO said: “The South West really does have it all, whether that’s food and drink, leisure, accommodation and entertainment, or the great outdoors and sprawling beaches.

“In terms of culture, history and picturesque scenery, many popular European resorts could not compete.

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“There’s no better time for people in Bristol to visit a memorable location that makes you feel happy and content. Many parents are choosing to relive their childhood memories by visiting places of interest with their own children.”

More than a third of Bristol residents said they preferred holidaying in the UK than going abroad, with an additional four in ten admitting that they would probably always go on staycations if good weather could be guaranteed.

More than half of Bristol said they preferred holidaying at home because it meant they could travel by car, while 32 per cent liked being able to take their dog and 27 per cent enjoyed saving money by not having to pay for travel insurance.

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Almost four in ten said they liked the fact UK holidays were cheaper than trips abroad, with Bristol residents expecting to pay around £745 for seven days away in Britain compared to £1,603 for a week abroad.